Vinyl Club bouncer charged with assault

BY Nick Morgan...

A doorman who allegedly inflicted serious facial injuries during a dispute with a man over re-entering an Ashland dance club faces a Measure 11 assault charge.

Marc Wayne Bokish II, 29, was arraigned Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court on a single felony count of second-degree assault in a Nov. 25 attack that required a 22-year-old man to undergo at least two facial-reconstruction surgeries, according to court documents.

The dispute at the Vinyl Club, 130 Will Dodge Way, began just after 1:30 a.m., according to an affidavit filed by Ashland police. The victim, a patron at the club, told police he’d gone outside and attempted to return, when Bokish, who was working as a bouncer, demanded the victim pay admission again.

The victim told police he tried to show Bokish his hand stamp before bypassing him, but Bokish allegedly grabbed the victim by the throat, took him to the ground and punched him in the face multiple times, according to police.

The victim suffered a shattered nose, a broken orbital socket, chipped teeth and a mild concussion.

One witness who saw portions of the altercation told police the victim had been very passive prior to the attack and attempted to walk around Bokish, the affidavit says.

At a March 5 Ashland City Council meeting, the victim’s father said his son suffered eight to 12 blows that broke and dislodged his teeth.

Vinyl Club owner Michael Leslie said Bokish is no longer an employee, according to an earlier news report.

A grand jury charged Bokish March 31, and he made his initial appearance in court Thursday.

Circuit Judge Lorenzo Mejia set bail at $75,000, requiring Bokish to post 10 percent bond or report to jail by April 26, court records show. His next court date is set for May 21.

Bokish has no prior felony convictions in Oregon, but in a 2014 Jackson County case for which he admitted to second-degree disorderly conduct, Bokish reportedly knocked a woman to the ground, drew a pistol and menaced the victim and her boyfriend in an Albertsons parking lot.

Reach Mail Tribune reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.